On a rainy weekend in Myrtle Beach, S.C., the Elon University baseball team played a lot of waiting games.
Due to predicted rains throughout the weekend, the tournament, hosted by Coastal Carolina University, was moved up a day to allow the first scheduled games to be played without having to worry about making the games up later in the weekend. Elon was not affected by the schedule change though, as the Phoenix’s first game of the weekend against the University of Kentucky stayed on Friday, Feb. 22.
Scheduled to start at 11 a.m., rain pushed the start of the contest between the Phoenix and the eighth-ranked Wildcats back four hours. When the game did start, senior left-hander Dylan Clark took the ball for Elon against Kentucky senior lefty Jerad Grundy.
Clark breezed through a perfect first three innings before trouble struck in the fourth inning when Kentucky sent eight men to the play, scoring five runs.
Elon finally broke through on Grundy in the seventh inning when junior catcher Ryan Kinsella sent his first home run of the season over the right field wall. That was all the Phoenix would muster though, as the Kentucky pitching staff only allowed three hits on the soggy afternoon.
Originally scheduled to play Coastal Carolina following the tilt with Kentucky, the game was postponed until Saturday Feb. 23.
Saturday brought more rain, causing all four teams participating in the tournament to have the day off.
The wet weather subsided on Sunday, Feb. 24 and the Phoenix got things started early with a 9:30 a.m. matchup with Kansas State University. The Wildcats led throughout, but Elon changed that in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-out rally.
Sophomore infielder Casey Jones singled to the right side, then an Alex Swim single set up runners on the corners for Kinsella. The junior’s single to left tied the game at three. Sophomore Joey Tomko followed with a bouncing single up the middle the allowed Swim to get around from second base and give the Phoenix the final 4-3 advantage.
Kyle Webb got his second start of the season, lasting 6.2 innings surrendering eight hits and three runs, two earned, while fanning two. Senior Andrew MacDonald picked up the win in relief and senior Nate Young nailed down his second save of the season.
To close the weekend, the Phoenix took on host Coastal Carolina on Sunday, Feb. 24. Coastal Carolina jumped early, scoring two runs in the second inning on Elon starter David Whitehead. That was all Whitehead would allow though on the afternoon.
The Phoenix scattered eight runs between the third and seventh innings, including four in the third.
After Swim scored sophomore Quinn Bower on a single up the middle, Kinsella notched his third home run of the weekend with a shot over the left center field wall to score three more.
Whitehead lasted seven innings, giving up just three hits and the two second inning runs, but the bullpen almost blew the six run advantage in the ninth inning.
The Chants sent 11 men to the plate and score five times, but it was Young striking out freshman Connor Owings to end the game.
The Phoenix improved to 4-3 with the win while Whitehead picked up his first win of the year after getting knocked around in his first start against Virginia Commonwealth.
Elon returns home on Tuesday, Feb. 26 to take on the Liberty University Flames. First pitch at Latham Park is at 4 p.m.